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December is here. Tomorrow’s Iowa forecast is for a serious 20 degree drop in temperature. I think we’re getting serious about this winter business. You’d think the plethora of Black Friday commercials would be my first clue.

As I oft do while I was driving to Iowa City to register students, I accessed the ole subconscious today, and the Klarion saga came popping out. All of the grimness of the last several days is material I can use for the misunderstood and stunted aunt in the first book. I may even be telling the book from her misunderstood and stunted point of view. I have the same feeling I did when Errol told me to listen to a story, although he told me someone else’s story. Stunted aunt is too self-centered for that.

I dragged my mind back to the present project. I am planning to make a required word count each day this month. I want to make a January deadline with this troll book. This is going to be discipline, because ever since October, the other project has been goading me. (Write me! People want me!) It’s no biggie. I am a workhorse. I’ll get the troll book done because I know when it’s realistically due.

And finally, the other thing that occurred. What will the next big thing be in publishing? Because we’ve peaked the Steampunk summit, so it’s now on it’s way out.

The next big thing will be ansty demon binding magicians from the 19th century, full of melodrama and betrayal. We’ll call it Steam Goth.

No, I guess we will not. 😛

***

So this post isn’t totally clueless, here’s something from Seanan McGuire about believing your own press and how everyone can’t and won’t like your books. It’s worth a looksie.

Catherine

Where have I been?

I’d like to say that I’ve been away writing up a storm. Instead, I’ve been bucking the waves of emotional turbulence. Things are much better now, but as I journey through the choppy rapids of writing I learn more and more about my process.

I believe some writers can work through anything. I can work through busy periods, making sure that I do my allotted words a day. I can work through dead zones and creative droughts, although I often have to ditch those words.

What I can not do is work during extreme emotion. If I get good, giddy writer news, it’s tough for me to get myself down in that chair, because I’m too busy basking. Yup, I *can* use it as a motivation to write, but the happy keeps distracting me.

During darker times, it’s nigh impossible. I gotta admit, the last four days have given me some awesome characterization ideas in retrospect, just not for the troll piece. It’s hard to focus on anything when what you’re doing is spending 24/7 being unhappy.

I’m not writing this entry to get patted on the head. The problems we were having took a bit to resolve, and we’ve come out the other side, perhaps a bit stronger and more knowledgeable. But I’m writing because I wonder if you ever get stoppered, and what makes you get stoppered.

And because, since I haven’t been writing, and I haven’t been posting, if I don’t write about something, you’ll think I was dead.

***

Back in the writerly saddle, I sent submissions out to Cabinet des Fees, Pseudopod, and Clarkesworld tonight. Gotta love Clarkesworld. My rejection will be here in a day and a half.

Catherine

After writing for four hours, the characters on the screen are beginning to look a bit like ants. Time for a bit of a break.

Currently writing through the Manuel and Wort string of the story. It will intersect with Hild’s story and the Widow’s story shortly.

Verbage? 32.1K

Catherine

Jay Lake can use your good vibrations today as he goes in for some cancer surgery.

***
Michael Jasper links to Dean Wesley Smith‘s entry about writing a Book as an Event.

Well, yeah, writer’s got to keep writing. Writer’s got to send things out. And writer’s got to be patient with self. And writer’s got to keep repeating those things.

***

Keeping with rejection of novel as event, Maggie Stiefvater writes a Dear John letter to NaNoWriMo.

***

BIG NEWS!

In the we knew them when section, fellow VP Fighting XIII’er Sean Craven makes his first short story sale to Tor.com.

Sean gives me hope today. Even though I talk with a great deal of confidence, when the teachers at VP told us we were the next generation of SF/F writers, you can believe it about the others, but you have doubts about yourself. It makes me feel that all this cuspy stuff I’m on the verge of *can* happen, and perhaps, just for Sean, for half an hour to celebrate, I’ll allow myself to get good and hopeful.

Good job, Sean.

***

So. Lunch. Writing. Waiting for the new stove. Turkey pick up. Yeah.

Catherine

It’s vacation. Finally. While I didn’t escape as free as I hoped I would, I think I can balance the tasks and creativity accordingly.

I’m re-reading Mary Stewart‘s The Crystal Cave for our SF club book group. Thirteen pages in, and a friend already couldn’t get my attention until the third try.

Still alive at 93, Stewart hasn’t produced a new book for some years, but her list of books is impressive. What I think makes Stewart a master of the novel genre is her versatility. She is known among fantasy fans for her superb Merlin series, but she is also an author of romantic suspense.

The writing in most of her books is just damned good. It’s precise, descriptive, and voluptuous. True, you won’t find gun-toting, tattoed babes. The heroes and heroines of her books belong to a different age in writing, but like Bradbury, her writing holds up well in a more modern time.

I’m really excited to read The Crystal Cave again, and I hope you will be motivated to take a look at Stewart’s unique perspective on Merlin.

Catherine

My beast seems to work best at ideas when I’m driving alone, which I did today and yesterday.

Interesting for me to know.

You? When does your subconscious kick into overtime? When do you get your good ideas.

***

And while you’re thinking about that, here’s a post from Seanan McGuire to read. Ostensibly, it’s about Harlequin Horizons, but it’s really more about how you get to Carnegie Hall.

Catherine

ETA: This is now the final version of the cover!
Here’s a link to the Cat’s Curious blurb. There, if you click on the image, you can enlarge the picture and see all the awesome detail.

Sonya Sipes, Cats Curious publisher, has given me permission to post the almost finished version of Emily Kaplan‘s Hulk Hercules: Professional Wrestler cover.

I am very happy with it! Thanks to both Sonya and Emily for all their hard work!

Catherine

Harlequin Horizons, consider thyself smited.

Verily, Jackie Kessler elaborates!

Catherine adds: I’ve never seen a major publisher melt down into scum before my very eyes!

Back to work!

Catherine

We interrupt the inundation to say:

With Oliver Toddle released on Monday, and the almost done cover for Hulk Hercules arriving today, I’m feeling tangible in my writer real estate.

Catherine

Since it looks like my middle name is going to be inundation for a few days (It’s an old Puritan name, like Inundation Pruitt or something), I thought maybe a fun thing to do in the spirit of focusing on you (especially after the Nebula entry, which was all about *sniff* me), would be maybe a thread in which all of you tell folks about your current WIP(s) or recent releases. (I wanted to see if I could work in one more parenthetical phrase into this paragraph.)

And while you’re telling me, I’ll be checking papers, registering more people for Rosetta Stone, finishing off ELA graduation plans, reading some stuff for a grant, reading some other stuff for a convention board decision, checking out a registration database, checking papers, writing teachers about unpopular bookstore policies, explaining other plans for next semester that didn’t happen this semester due to limited time resource, writing two finals and whatever else comes up.

When I’m not at work, I’ll be writing, and reading a friend’s piece, which I’m really looking forward to. Much more fun, but not much posting time as a result.

So, tell me what you’re working on. Or what you have coming out. Why you love it. How it’s going. Where we can find it. And stuff like that.

Catherine